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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. court — of a king
  6. can — to be able to
  7. craft — a skill
  8. lean — thin
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. field — farmland
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. court — for sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. can — a tin
  19. court — of law
  20. craft — boats
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. shower — to wash
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com